February 2016 Newsletter

BirdFest & Bluegrass Planning Committee Seeks New Members and Chair!  

Refuge Project Progress 

Over the 50 year existence of the RNWR there have been many proposals for planning and building a place where employees can work and interact with visitors to the Refuge. A place where refuge visitors can learn more about the RNWR and community partners can provide education opportunities. 2016 is the year to plan and prepare for the "Center" (Still deciding on a name).

The Friends of the RNWR Board has voted to support this project and place it at the top of the list to accomplish. At this time there is no timeline for this project to be completed. The Region 1 of the US Fish and Wildlife System, based in Portland, has identified the planning and construction of the Office/Center as number one on their project list. Some preparation was done a few years ago by completing soil tests and environmental test at the proposed building site.

I could easily get into telling you, as I did during the Friends membership meeting, how important the RNWR is to the Portland/Vancouver metro area and the importance to the Pacific flyway that extends from Alaska to Mexico and beyond. The importance of having an Office/Center can’t be overstated, the population in Southwest Washing is growing and will grow more over the next 20 years. Visitors need a place to learn more about the history, culture and wildlife of the Refuge.

The RNWR has been designated nationally as a priority Urban Refuge for the Refuge System and will see more visitors that are looking for that nature experience that can’t be found in a city environment. Research supports the need for humans to connect to nature in order to be healthy and well adjusted. Providing for those visitors needs to be planned and built.

There are trails that have been, or are being built all over the refuge, within the City of Ridgefield, and in Clark County that will provide access to the Refuge. When the new Main Avenue bridge over G-Creek in Ridgefield is constructed, there will be a sidewalk that will lead to a trail on the Refuge that will, for the first time, provide safe access along Main Avenue. The Port of Ridgefield will soon build an auto bridge that will provide access from Pioneer St. to the Port and to the trails that will extend from the Port to the Carty Unit of the RNWR. A new auto bridge over the railroad tracks to the River- S Unit has been planned and will be completed over the next few years. There are projects planned for the River-S Unit that will improve the visitor experience by allowing Refuge employees, volunteers and visitors to have a place to interact.

While I can't report any progress at this time, it will come. Members of the Friends will be asked to participate in the planning the Office/Center.

-Russ Roseberry

New and Familiar Faces Around the Refuge 

The Friends of Ridgefield NWR have been making a lot of changes lately, including voting in some new/old board members, and hiring a new Habitat Coordinator, and they would love to introduce themselves to you!

Our new Habitat Restoration Coordinator Keith Rutz:

I can still remember my first conservation moment at the age of five when, as I rode my tricycle over ants on the sidewalk, my older sister asked me how I would feel if I was the ant and someone intentionally ran me over. At that moment I came to realize that even as a kid I had control over how I interacted with my world, and with that interaction came responsibility. At the age of nine, I saw my first federally listed endangered species- my 4^th grade class was let out to walk down to the lake to view the whooping cranes that were migrating through. The Crane’s story was one of habitat loss and the unintended effects of pollution and I became then, and remain, a supporter of the FWS, the ESA, and the conservation and protection of the environment. 

After high-school and a few years working in the trades, I came across an opportunity to work for a conservation group. This position eventually gave me the reason to travel to Eugene for what was to be a three-month stint, that turned into seven years, that turned into a career in conservation. I worked to restore wolves to the mountains of the Southwest with the FWS, recovered foxes on islands off the California coast with the NPS, and worked on projects to assist with lynx reintroductions, prairie chicken conservation, and numerous other species as I took on one project after another. In Kentucky, I worked for the Nature Preserves Commission and the University of Kentucky restoring and protecting forest and prairie habitat, when not in graduate school.

Becoming the Habitat Restoration Coordinator at Ridgefield NWR seems like my natural next step. It doesn’t take long working with endangered species to understand the importance of habitat and a functioning ecosystem for maintaining a diversity of species. Ridgefield is an important component of the Pacific Flyway and the lower Columbia River system. It faces continual threats of encroachment and introduction of invasive species by the river and by visitors, winged or otherwise. Working on the frontlines of habitat protection and restoration is indeed my “dream job.”  I look forward, with community involvement and support, to the challenges and rewards offered by this position.

-Keith Rutz

Our new Board Member Susan Setterberg:

My goal when I retired from the US Food and Drug Administration, after 31 years of service, was to find a place to live where I could be a volunteer at a National Wildlife Refuge. Even though I spent 25+ years on the east coast in various management positions and offices, I wanted to return to the West Coast where I felt most at home. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area but have some roots in Washington as I was a graduate student at UW, and therefore a Husky. Coming to Ridgefield almost three years ago was a good fit for me. My passion is birdwatching.  It's a wonderful way to experience nature around us. I started in 1975 with an ornithology class, and haven't stopped. My job and vacations have taken me to many states and I always travel with binoculars, looking for a refuge or park to visit. I have also managed some foreign travel with birding tour groups. It's been a wonderful experience. But it is also very satisfying to get to know the birds of my local refuge. Watching the changes in the seasons and thus the changes in the avifauna has its own rewards. Most satisfying, as a volunteer at Ridgefield NWR, is staffing the contact station at River 'S' unit on Sundays and getting to share my knowledge of birds. I often learn as much, or more, from the visitors. I am an advocate for Citizen Science projects. I participate in Breeding Bird Surveys, Christmas Counts, Cornell's Feeder Watch Program, the World Series of Birding and now goose and waterfowl counts on the refuge. By doing so, I sharpen my birding skills, always learn more about birds, and contribute information to science. I graduated with a Masters in Zoology from University of Washington and a Masters in Public Administration from University of San Francisco. My education, my birding, and my management experience in government, I hope, will bring knowledge and skills useful to the Board of the Friends of Ridgefield NWR. I am eager to start my term as a new way to contribute to the outstanding refuge system we have in this country and in particular Ridgefield NWR. 

-Susan Setterberg

Our returning Board Member (Past President) Jim Maul:

Jim was, at one point, the President of the Friends Board, and is back to help out some more! With a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Western Washington University and being "the President/Principal Hydrogeologist for Maul Foster Alongi, Jim directs projects for industrial and municipal clients. He has over 25 years of experience providing consulting services. He has managed projects in various stages of remedial action, from design of groundwater- and soil-cleanup programs to their implementation, and projects under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as well as state cleanup programs. Mr. Maul’s technical and regulatory expertise is acquired from both direct involvement in and management of projects." We are lucky and thankful to have him back! 

Source: http://www.maulfoster.com/staff/james-j-maul/

Ridgefield Refuge Complex

News & Events

 

 

 

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge  

 

Christmas Bird Count History

 

Prior to the turn of the 20^th century, some hunters joined a competitive holiday tradition, known as the Christmas ‘Side Hunt,’ to bag the most animals during a day. On Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, proposed an alternate holiday tradition – a ‘Christmas Bird Census’ that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them. Today, thousands of Citizen Scientists brave the elements around the holidays, contributing to a 116-year old nationwide wildlife census.

 

What is the Christmas Bird Count?

A group of volunteers that count all birds encountered on a set day within a set area. The date selected occurs between Dec. 14^th and Jan 5^th of each year. Volunteers document all birds encountered within a 15-mile diameter circle on the selected day. There are many Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) conducted annually within North America. Regionally, over 100 CBCs were conducted this year within Oregon and Washington. The CBC gives a clear indication of the abundance of bird species in an area.  But the longevity of the data set also helps researchers understand larger conservation issues like population trends and species distribution.   

 

Sauvie Island’s Christmas Bird Count

For decades a CBC has been conducted with the survey area centered at Sauvie Island. The survey circle reaches from the Lewis River to Vancouver Lake and from Dollars Corner to Scappoose. This area includes all of Sauvie Island, the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, the Shillapoo Wildlife Area, Frenchman’s Bar Park, and Vancouver Lake Park. Annually, birdwatchers from both sides of the Columbia River unite to count this vast area that is renowned for its wildlife abundance.

 

2015 Results

A total of 30,000 birds were observed and identified to 120 species. 
The most abundant species was Cackling Geese with 12,616 observed. 

Other items of interest follow in the format of Species (number counted): 

White-Fronted Goose (4)

Snow Goose (1)

Trumpeter Swan (87)

Tundra Swan (817)

Eurasian Wigeon (3)

Cinnamon Teal (2)

Sandhill Crane (1,073)

Northern Shrike (2)

 

Tree Swallow (3)

Swamp Sparrow (1)

White-throated Sparrow (4) 

 

Interested in CBC 2016?

Contact the Refuge Office.  They can put you in contact with the local CBC coordinator.

 

Photos provided by: https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide

 

Thank you for visiting the refuge and supporting conservation. If you have any questions regarding activities and regulations on the refuge, call the office Monday through Friday 7:30am to 3:30 pm at 360-887-4106.

Habitat Restoration 

Updates & Events

Habitat Restoration hit its stride in the month of January. Fifty-five volunteers participated in three plantings events, giving 224 hours of their time and planting 965 trees in often rainy conditions. Our current total is 3,615 trees and shrubs planted during this season. Overall, we’ve planted about 6 acres with forage and shelter plant species for the Columbian White-tailed Deer, which continue to grow and thrive on the Refuge since their reintroduction.

Planting season is quickly winding to a close, though, with only six tree/shrub plantings remaining! The last plantings are on February 3^rd, 6^th, 10^th, 20^th, 24^th, and March 5^th, and will be at sites all over the Refuge. We are starting to look forward towards invasive species removal and the Ricefield Bulrush program as well! If you’d like to get involved with habitat restoration on the Refuge, email Aiden_Forsi@fws.gov for more information. See you out on the Refuge!

Contact Aiden_Forsi@fws.gov for more details!

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Header Photo Credit: Marguerite Hills